The exposure of a pedophile ring in Belgium and the children's summit is Sweden several years ago have highlighted the tragedy of children being used for pornography and prostitution. This is an international problem that is finally receiving the attention of the media and ordinary people in "advanced" nations.
We can only hope that the outcry will prompt the Japanese government to truthfully criminalize (not only a "tatemae" or an afficial stance) child pornography, but I doubt it. Not only is child pornography apparently accepted in Japan, but pornography of all kinds is readily made available to children.
Vending machines sell it on the street (even in small country towns); the manga (comic books) read by young people contain both pornographic photographs and drawings; schoolgirls disrobe in some video games; and shockingly, it is even given away as prizes in some video game centers!
Two years ago, a Japanese man who sat next to me on the plane from Fukuoka to Aomori told me that he was in a video game arcade somewhere in Tokyo; and some of the prizes offered were playing cards with pictures of naked women and pornographic videos. According to him, those videos didn't appear to be "soft porn." They were hardcore and the cover of one depicted a woman engaged in a sex act with a farm animal! Isn't it nice to think that a grade-school boy or girl could win that and take it home?
Young people should be educated about issues of sex and sexuality but not through books and videos that degrade women, abuse animals, make children "sexy" or depict rape as something a woman enjoys.
The blind acceptance of all forms of pornography in Japan is perpetuated by Japanese women who allow themselves to be portrayed in this way and who ignore what their children are being exposed to.
It is about time that women in this country stood up for themselves and their children as women have been doing in many other countries for a very long time.
People maybe have the right to produce pornography but I believe they also have the duty to control its distribution.
Japanese women (because I think most Japanese and non-Japanese men living in Japan aren't going to do it) must get pornographic vending machines off the streets, pornography out of children's comics and video game arcades, and fight have child pornography FULLY criminalized (by all means necessary) as much of the rest of the "advanced" world has done already.
Nota Bene:
For us men, if we do really love and respect women (our grandmothers, mothers, wives, girlfriends, aunts, sisters, daughters, nieces...) we must stand up and fight for their welfare and dignity!(Joel Assogba)
2 comments:
No. You're wrong. Pornography should be more available, not less.
As soon as a teenager is ready to read pornography, s/he goes from skipping the boring parts with sex in them, to reading stuff just for the purient content.
Why deprive a embarrassed teenager of a masturbatory outlet just because of your nanny-state predjudices?
I fully agree and support your argument. Japanese women (and women everywhere in the world) must support the fight against pornography. At best, pornography does not encourage natural, healthy, loving relationships. It is addictive and destructive to those who consume it. At worst, pornography abuses innocent children and degrades women. Men who love their children and respect women should also join in the fight. Having values and respect for others is not old-fashioned. It's just decent.
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